6 Things You Won't be Knowing About Xiaomi Mi3 and MIUI

Xiaomi Mi3 made headlines as soon as they launched in Indian sub-continent, it is a budget smartphone with premium looks and high-end flagship features, the Mi3 unit costs Rs.13,999 in India and is exclusively available on Flipkart. The company chose a strange strategy which I guess is working as they desired. Instead of keeping the phone available for customers, they ask people to register for purchase and come back on a given date and time when the phone will be available to buy for registered users only, it means that you cannot buy Mi3 whenever you want, you'll have to register pre-sale and then show-up on the sale date and time and then if you are lucky, you'll be able to Buy the device before someone takes it. 

I'm not going to write same things again and again, I've written many articles on Xiaomi Mi3 previously, I will link them below so that you can easily access them and know more about them.

Read: Xiaomi to sell 100,000 Mi 3 phones every week in India during Diwali

I tried my luck in August 26 Mi3 sale and was able to fetch one for me :) Soon I will be posting the full review on this site but till then lets continue with this. Today I will list some unknown, secret and hidden features of Xiaomi Mi3 and MIUI which you might now be knowing.

Things You Won't be Knowing About MIUI

1. Root Permission

Getting Root permission on Xiaomi Mi3 is as simple as flashing a ROM. You can download the Developer ROM from the official Xiaomi page and then flash it on to your Mi3 through recovery mode and BAM!!! You get the root permissions. This process is safe and there is no risk of bricking device, in case there is some problem, you still get the warranty. Xiaomi does not voids warranty if the device is rooted.

After Installing Developer ROM, go to Security app > Permissions and then enable Root Permissions.

2. OTG

Xiaomi Mi3 comes in two variants, 16GB and 64GB but the Indian version of Mi3 comes in 16GB only, so what to do if you want to enjoy HD movies and gaming on your device, how to expand the storage. Well you can do that using OTG, it stands for On-the-Go and basically it means that by using a cable, you can connect USB Drives, hard disks, card readers, USB mouse, USB Keyboard, gaming pads etc. All you have to do is buy an OTG cable and you're good to go.

OTG Cable

You can buy OTG cable from any mobile store and it will cost around a dollar or two. If you are from India then I recommend buying it from Flipkart, click here to buy OTG cable.

3. Inbuilt SwiftKey

SwiftKey Keyboard is one of the most used third-party keyboard in the world. It is available on multiple mobile platforms and is free to download. Swiftkey keyboard comes pre-installed in the Xiaomi Mi3, so you can start using it out-of-the-box. The best thing about this keyboard is that it comes with lots of themes and customization and its auto prediction text is highly accurate. 

4. Glove Mode

Glove mode is a boon for people living in cold regions, it is available under the Display settings of the Xiaomi Mi3. Enabling this mode will increase the sensitivity of the touch screen and you'll be able to operate the device even with gloves on. You can checkout Glove mode by going in to Mi3 Settings > Display 

5. Private Messaging

Another great inbuilt feature in the MiUI, you can browse private messaging right from your SMS inbox, it is hidden so nicely that no one will ever know if it is there. I'm talking about the secret section of your SMS inbox where your private conversations will be saved. All you have to do is, Go to Messaging and keep swiping the screen downwards until the Private Messaging inbox appears. Checkout the short video below for activating Private Messaging on the MiUI

This is great for people who want to keep their private messages out of the reach of others. You can also protect it with pattern lock.

6. Inbuilt QR Scanner in Camera

Now no need to install separate app for QR codes, Xiaomi Mi3 has it inbuilt, just go to the camera settings and enable QR scanner, now just open your camera and focus on the QR code and you'll be able to scan it. Every time you need to scan QR code, open your camera, point and shoot. As simple as that.

I won't call these 6 things as tricks or tips, these are just 6 Hidden features which most of the people don't know, unless you are a heavy user or a tinkerer. I hope this post helps you find out new features on your Xiaomi phone. This post was not intended only for Mi3 users, any one running the MIUI version 5 will find these tips helpful. I will keep bringing more articles on this topics so if you are a Mi3 or MIUI user then stay tuned.